Vehicles or vehicle parts connected to one another in an articulated manner, e.g. streetcars or also articulated buses, are typically characterized by a gangway between the two vehicle parts. The gangway in detail comprises a gangway platform or also a gangway bridge that is surrounded by a folding bellows or by a concertina bellows in at least a U shape, but frequently also in a tunnel shape. It is hereby ensured that persons can move between the individual vehicle parts without being exposed to the effects of weather. The bellows of the gangway is here able to accommodate all the travel movements between the two vehicle parts such as in particular kink movements, pitching and rolling movements and, with rail-bound vehicles, optionally also alternating movements. It follows from this that the bellows as part of the gangway is highly deformable.
In particular with rapidly traveling rail vehicles such as high-speed trains like the ICE or TGV, it is furthermore known to provide two bellows that are supported in one another to be able to ensure increased sound insulation or also to make improved thermal insulation possible. Furthermore, such double-concertina bellows provide that pressure impulses such as arise when such a vehicle travels into a tunnel at high speed, for example, are only transmitted into the interior of the gangway in attenuated form. Such double-concertina bellows are frequently very thick so that the passage clearance width between the vehicles in the region of the gangway is comparatively small so that is it not possible for wheelchair users to move to and fro between the vehicle parts in some cases. There is to this extent an endeavor to configure the passage clearance width between two vehicles as generously as possible in the region of the gangway.
A planar connection element or a connection element with a box-shape or U-shape peripherally in cross-section between two vehicles connected to one another in an articulated manner, wherein the connection element has a planar reinforcement material coated with an elastomer. The reinforcement material itself comprises a plurality of threads or yarns, wherein the threads or yarns are manufactured from an elastic material, in particular from a cross-linked silicone rubber. The arrangement of the threads or yarns in a fabric can here be such that it is elastically yielding in at least one spatial direction, but preferably in two spatial directions, which means that both the warp threads and the weft threads are manufactured from such an elastic material, in particular from a cross-linked silicone rubber.
It is known in this connection from EP 2 740 618 A1 to provide a cover that is elastic in itself between two vehicle parts as part of a gangway, wherein the cover is arranged flush at the outer skin at the front faces of the two adjacent vehicle parts to avoid swirl formation between the two vehicle parts and thus to avoid flow losses. Provision is made to stabilize the cover to provide the cover with peripheral frames, with the cover being fixable by tongues in the frames.